Falls are often due to
hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix. This checklist
will help you find and fix those hazards in your home.
The checklist asks about hazards found in each room of your home.
For each hazard, the checklist tells you how to fix the problem. At
the end of the checklist, you will find other tips for preventing
falls.

Senior Home Safety
Checklist

Area

Observation

Remedy

Floors

When you walk through
a room, do you have to walk around furniture?

Move the furniture so
the path is clear.

Floors

Throw rugs on the floor?

Remove the rugs or use
double-sided tape or a non-slip backing so the rugs won't slip

Floors

Are papers, magazines,
books, shoes, boxes, blankets, towels, or other objects on the floor?

Always keep objects off
the floor

Floors

Do you have to walk over
or around cords or wires (like cords from lamps, extension cords,
or telephone cords)?

Coil or tape cords and
wires next to the wall so you can't trip over them. Have an electrician
put in another outlet.

Stairs and Steps

Are papers, shoes, books,
or other objects on the stairs?

Keep objects off the stairs.

Stairs and Steps

Are some steps broken
or uneven?

Fix loose or uneven steps

Stairs and Steps

Are you missing a light
over the stairway?

Have an electrician put
in an overhead light at the top and bottom of the stairs.

Stairs and Steps

Do you have only one light
switch for your stairs

Have an electrician put
in a light switch at the top and bottom of the stairs.

Stairs and Steps

Is there a sturdy handrail
on only one side of the stairs?

Make sure handrails are
on both sides of the stairs and are as long as the stairs

Stairs and Steps

Is the carpet on the steps
loose or torn?

Make sure the carpet is
firmly attached to every step or remove the carpet and attach non-slip
rubber treads on the stairs.

Kitchens

Are the things you use
often on high shelves

Keep things you use often
on the lower shelves (about waist high).

Kitchens

Is your step stool unsteady?

Use a steady step stool
with a bar to hold on to

Bedrooms

Is the light near the
bed hard to reach?

Place a lamp close to
the bed

Bedrooms

Is the path from your
bed to the bathroom dark?

Use a night-light

Bathrooms

Is the tub or shower floor
slippery?

Put a non-slip rubber
mat or self- stick strips on the floor of the tub or shower

Bathrooms

Do you have some support
when you get in and out of the tub or up from the toilet?